John McCain returns to New Hampshire!

New Hampshire Town Hall, Rochester

What: New Hampshire Town Hall, Rochester

When: July 22, 2008

Where: Rochester Opera House
31 Wakefield St
Rochester, NH03867

John McCain returns to New Hampshire for a Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, July 22. The doors will open at 10:30 am.

Please click here to RSVP online. You do not need a confirmation nor response from campaign staff to attend the event.

You can also RSVP by emailing newhampshire@johnmccain.com.

The Secret History of the Republican Party

ARRA News Service - Mike LaRoche, South Texian shares some amazing history of the Republican Party. I have extracted a few points but to get the full gist of his article drop by and read the completed post:

To understand the long-standing Republican commitment to civil rights, it is best to begin with the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. In April 1866, Congressional Republicans (against the strong opposition of President Andrew Johnson, a Unionist Democrat), introduced the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment entailed the following:

All native-born or naturalized persons in America were officially made American citizens, and states were prohibited from depriving citizens of their life, liberty, or property without the due process of law.

States were compelled to extend voting rights to blacks, for the amendment stipulated that state representation in Congress could be reduced if some citizens were unjustly barred from voting.

Congress passed the Fourteenth Amendment in June 1866, and it was forwarded to the states for ratification. Johnson fought hard against the ratification of this amendment throughout the summer and fall of 1866, but his efforts were futile as state after state outside the South approved it (all of the Southern states, except Tennessee, voted it down).

In February 1869, the Republican Congress passed the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was subsequently ratified by the requisite number of states. This Amendment guaranteed voting rights to all citizens regardless of their race, color, or former slave status.

During Ulysses S. Grant's presidency, more measures were taken by Congress to protect blacks against harassment. One significant piece of legislation, the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, made it a felony to interfere with voting rights and authorized the use of the army for the law's enforcement. A similarly strong law passed was the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which broadly outlawed public racial discrimination. . . .

It should also be remembered that the Republican Party's commitment to civil rights was alive and well during the twentieth century, for it was President Dwight D. Eisenhower who used federal troops to force the state of Arkansas to admit black students to Little Rock's Central High School. . . . Sen. Everett Dirksen (R-IL) was instrumental in pushing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through Congress.

Regarding women's rights, Republican support for female suffrage was evident as early as the 1860s, when the very Republican territory of Wyoming became the first to allow women to vote . . . The first woman elected to Congress was also a Republican: Rep. Jeanette Rankin (R-MT) of Missoula, . . . Also, it was a Republican Congress that in 1919 passed the 19th Amendment, granting women nationwide the right to vote. This was done over the loud objections of then-President Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat. . . .

LaRoche completes his post with this insightful comment: "Although I titled this entry "The Secret History of the Republican Party," there really is nothing secret about what I have discussed. The facts are easily available but have been consistently ignored (if not distorted) for years by many so-called professional educators across the country – due to either ideological bias or just plain ignorance. Oftentimes in the pursuit of historical truth, the most critical step is to unlearn what you have previously learned." . . . [Read More]

Obama Iraq Documentary

Obama Iraq

Tony Snow Was One of A Kind

Former Press Secretary Tony Snow passed away, Saturday 12 July at 0200 Hrs. He was a man of character, principle, and intellect. He was a man who valued loyalty. There would be no worries about backstabbing books from him. He was the most dynamic Presidential spokesperson in recent memory. He was a patriot who put the Country first. He was a man who valued faith and family.

Sympathy and prayers go out to his family (especially wife Jill and the children), and his many friends. The country lost a true public servant.

Isabel Garcia-Deputy Pima County Public Defender-Needs to Go

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has a new book out. It's called "Joe's Law", and the good sheriff was in town Thursday, July 10, 2008, for a book signing and radio show. He has also been a guest on 104.1 The Truth with Jon Justice Monday, July 7, 2008, to discuss his book and his views of law enforcement.

Jon Justice has become a voice for Tucson, particularly in the areas of ILLEGAL immigration, city council corruption, corrupt school board issues (one school board member is backed by her US Congressman father in forcing things onto the taxpayer--said father is a former school board member as well) and things concerning the legal taxpayers of Tucson.

Isabel Garcia is a Deputy Pima County Public Defender. She is also co-chair of the Coalicion de Derechos Humanos, an alleged border rights group which is actually a group specializing in helping illegals cross the border, "Reconquista" and Aztlan and indulging in violence against those who disagree with them. While she is an attorney sworn to uphold the law, she deliberately breaks it and flaunts her conflicts of interest with impunity from Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckleberry (520/740-8661; Chuckelberry@co.pima.az.us; chh@pima.gov).

Tucson is a relatively laid back town. We pretty much let people be, and if they want to protest something, well, as long as it's peaceful, we let them protest. That doesn't mean there won't be a counter protest, but generally both sides are cool about having their voices heard and doing it within the confines of the law.

Unless Garcia is involved. Protests involving Garcia often involve escalating hate and walk very closely to the edge of breaking the law. She is responsible for encouraging high school students to leave their classrooms and protest police action on campus (when an illegal was discovered after being arrested for allegedly possessing drugs and his family was deported), responsible for encouraging violence against the police, influencing politicians through intimidation, encouraging the La Raza hate studies and the attendant protest when the State School Superintendant spoke against funding them with taxpayer dollars--in short, she is complete bad news.

She is the Mexican equivalent of Jackson, Sharpton and Farrakhan. Worse, while those three racist hate mongers are bad news, she also encourages the overthrow--violently--of the legitimate United States Government through Derechos.

Yet, Huckelberry refuses to discipline her. Why? Allegedly, she is engaging in these activities on her own time.

Chuck, we have news for you.

As an attorney, Isabel Garcia is on duty 24/7. As a County Attorney, she is a representative of the public 24/7. And her salary (as well as yours) is paid for by the LEGAL taxpayers of this county.

Now, how did Garcia cross the line?

She showed up with her gang of racist hate mongers to Sheriff Joe's book signing. Okay, they have a right to protest the fact he is doing his job and enforcing the law of the land.

They don't have a right to incite a riot, contribute to the delinquency of minors, and engage in blatant violence, encouraging said minors to engage in violence as well.

They brought along a pinata (effigy) of Sheriff Joe. While Garcia stood on the sidelines, she encouraged the minors to beat the pinata to a pulp, severing the head of it in the process. She then took the head and delightedly paraded around the parking lot, holding the head aloft. Against a lawfully elected law enforcement officer.



From left, Leilani Clark holds a piñata representing Sheriff Joe Arpaio as Dallely Hernandez, 17, and Crystal Terriquez, 16, take whacks at it. This picture was the front page of the Arizona Daily Star on July 11, 2008 (from the Arizona Daily Star July 11, 2008 article located here).



Edgar Toledo, 14, of Tucson, holds a pinata of Joe Arpaio with the head cut off during a protest Thursday night. About 75 people gathered at the Barnes & Noble bookstore, 5130 E. Broadway, in Tucson to protest a visit by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. (this picture is from the July 11, 2008 Tucson Citizen article located here).

There were several videos taken of this event as well: KGUN 9 News has video here; KMSB 11 has video here; KOLD 13 (which also has a news hotline 520-744-6397) here; KVOA 4 apparently didn't cover this incident, although they have covered many protests against Sheriff Joe in the past, the most recent being a disruption of the Pima county Republican Women's Club by (guess who) January 25, 2008 and linked here. Jon Justice also has video (as well as contact links for the news outlets and Huckelberry) at 104.1 The Truth here and on YouTube here, here and here.

The outrage over Garcia's action has been long in coming, but it's time she was put out of our misery. She has committed crimes against the county; she has committed crimes against fellow law enforcement officers; she has committed crimes against this country. It is time. She has to go--and she has to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for her activities.

Below is the letter I wrote to Huckelberry; I encourage everyone to copy it and use it. It is because of people like Garcia we have the problems with illegals we have.

Dear Mr. Huckleberry:

I am part of the legal community in Tucson. I am sick to death of the antics of Isabel Garcia. Her actions the night of Thursday, July 10, 2008, at the Borders Book Store, crossed the line.

My taxes are paying her salary and as her employer, I want her fired. There is a fine line between the right of public protest--PEACEFUL PROTEST--and Incite to Riot. She has crossed that line, seemingly with impunity from you, many times.

You state nothing can be done because she does these things in her own time. I beg to differ. She is a public employee and is held to a higher standard of behavior than an ordinary citizen. She can be fired for the mere APPEARANCE of POSSIBLE wrongdoing as a public employee, even on her own time.

Further, according to Rule 8.4 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Maintaining the Integrity of the Profession):

It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to:

(a) violate or attempt to violate the Rules of Professional Conduct, knowingly assist or induce another to do so, or do so through the acts of another;

(b) commit a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer's honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer in other respects;

(c) engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation;

(d) engage in conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice;

(e) state or imply an ability to influence improperly a government agency or official or to achieve results by means that violate the Rules of Professional Conduct or other law; or

(f) knowingly assist a judge or judicial officer in conduct that is a violation of applicable rules of judicial conduct or other law.

Miss Garcia blatantly violates Rule 8.4 (specifically sections a, b, d, e), and her incite to riot by her activities the night of Thursday, July 10 2008, in which she encouraged onlookers to violently assault an effigy of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, which was caught on video (including her holding the "severed head" of Arpaio aloft), is ample proof of that violation.

She is in violation of Rule 41, Ariz. R. Civ. P., which states:

The duties and obligations of members shall be:

(a) Those prescribed by the Arizona Rules of Professional Conduct adopted as rule 42 of these rules.

(b) To support the constitution and the laws of the United States and of this state.

TEXT (c)

(c) To maintain the respect due to courts of justice and judicial officers.

(d) To counsel or maintain no other action, proceeding or defense than those which appear to him legal and just, excepting the defense of a person charged with a public offense.

(e) To employ for the purpose of maintaining causes confided to him such means only as are consistent with truth, and never seek to mislead the judges by any artifice or false statement of fact or law.

(f) To maintain inviolate the confidences and preserve the secrets of a client.

(g) To abstain from all offensive personality and to advance no fact prejudicial to the honor or reputation of a party or a witness unless required by the justice of the cause with which he is charged.

(h) Not to encourage either the commencement or continuation of an action or proceeding from any corrupt motive of passion or interest, and never to reject for any consideration personal to himself the cause of the defenseless or oppressed.

She is in further violation of Federal Statute U.S. Code, Title 8, Section 1325, which states in relevant part:

A person (including a group of persons, business, organization or local government) commits a federal felony when he:

* assists an alien whom he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him to obtain employment,
* encourages that alien to remain in the U.S., by referring him to an employer, by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or
* knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.

Penalties upon conviction include criminal fines, imprisonment, and forfeiture of vehicles and real property used to commit the crime.

Further: (this part would authorize the the civilian arrest that is authorized by the State of Arizona)

State and local law enforcement officials have the general power to investigate and arrest violators of federal immigration statutes without prior INS knowledge or approval, as long as they are authorized to do so by state law. There is “no extant federal limitation” on this authority. The 1996 immigration control legislation passed by Congress was intended to encourage states and local agencies to participate in the process of enforcing federal immigration laws.

This is not the first time Garcia has blatantly violated the law, apparently with your approval. As a member of the law enforcement community herself, she positions herself both as a US citizen (which of course she is) but also as someone who wishes to overthrow the legal boundaries of the United States with her ongoing and increasingly violent promotion of Aztlan.

Her activities ARE becoming increasingly violent; this is a significant warning sign, a "red flag" of an unstable mental acuity, a "red flag" used by prison psychologists to evaluate the stability, to project the escalation of violent offenders and a benchmark used to profile violent offenders (such as sex offenders and serial killers). Due to this public exhibition of her increasing instability, she needs to be removed from office. By her very actions of delighting in the beating and beheading of an effigy figure, she shows a distinct lack of professional judgment. Her sanity is questionable at this stage.

By allowing her to continue her post as a Deputy Pima County Defender, you are allowing her to violate state and federal laws. You are allowing her to violate the oaths she took in her chosen profession to uphold the laws. You are allowing her to escalate her personal agenda at the expense of taxpayers. You are allowing her to continue to flaunt her conflict of interest as an attorney of the United States while promoting the overthrow of the United States.

You state these activities take place during her personal time. I'm sorry, but the county works a standard 8-5, Monday through Friday schedule. She is often participating in riots and protests during those times. Whether or not she has this time as sick or vacation time, she is still paid for her time to incite riots, promote violence, promote illegal activity, etc. on county time at taxpayer expense.

This MUST end and it must end now. The legal citizens of this county are fed up with Isabel Garcia's nonsense and we are fed up with you shielding her. Get rid of her. This story is already going viral, and it will soon be nationwide news. Your political career is in the sling with hers and, as previously stated, the LEGAL, TAXPAYING citizens are fed up. We will not hesitate to vote you out of office and have her fired by your successor if you do not do it yourself. And, I am filing a formal complaint with the State Bar of Arizona, including a copy of this letter, regarding Garcia and her activities. What Garcia did amounted to committing a hate crime. Just because she is Mexican and Arpaio is White is no excuse--hate crime is hate crime. I demand she be prosecuted appropriately, under the federal hate crime laws.

Do the right thing by your employers–Pima County Taxpayers–and remove this person from the payroll. Immediately, if not sooner.

Sincerely,
Kateri E. Jordan, PLS, PNPA

PS...Did I happen to mention I'm part of a coalition of bloggers? We plan to get this out and HELP it go "viral". We ARE fed up.

The quicker we get people like Garcia out of office, and those who cover for them, such as Huckelberry, the quicker we can see some progress on the illegal issue.

Had a white person done what Garcia did, the news would have been splashed across the headlines for days as a hate crime. As it is, it's being buried. Isabel Garcia committed a hate crime. Her sanity is questionable. Her judgment is questionable.

Remove her from office. Arrest her. Prosecute her. Now.

Delaware Gubernatorial Candidate Protack makes splash with issues

Gubernatorial Candidate Mike Protack is out addressing the issues facing Delaware. He received high marks for his 50 ideas for a better Delaware and Delacare Plan from many observers.

On Monday July 14th at 2 PM candidate for Governor Mike Protack will hold a press conference to offer a bold solution to the ongoing and growing gun violence situation in Wilmington.
Mike will be joined by a candidate for State Representative and Wilmington City Council.
For more information about Republican Mike Protack-- http://www.protackforgovernor.com/

Religious Liberty in the Crosshairs

Tony Perkins: FRC held a standing-room-only panel discussion this morning about the California same-sex marriage ruling and its effects on religious liberty. Many religious organizations in California and elsewhere are worried about the possible erosion of their First Amendment rights and religious liberty protections. The panel addressed key issues being asked by religious organizations: Will churches be able to refuse to marry homosexual couples? Will they be able to deny access to their facilities? Will other Christian organizations be able to retain their religious identity and beliefs in light of the court's decision?

I was joined by scholars and lawyers from both sides of the argument: Seamus Hasson, founder, chairman of the board, and president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty; Professor Teresa Stanton Collett, University of St. Thomas School of Law; Nathan J. Diament, director of the Institute for Public Affairs of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; Professor Chai R. Feldblum, Georgetown University Law Center; and Benjamin Bull from the Alliance Defense Fund. The reality is that the religious liberty of Americans is under fire, as evidenced by the loss of tax exempt status for a New Jersey Methodist organization that refused to allow lesbians to have a commitment ceremony at their site, and a lawsuit against a Christian photographer in Arizona who refused to take pictures of a lesbian commitment ceremony.

The panel also addressed the incidents in Sweden and Canada under their hate speech laws, including the prosecution of Swedish pastor Ake Green for speaking of homosexuality as a sin, and Pastor Stephen Boisson in Canada for the same offense. A part of the California ruling allows homosexual couples from out-of-state to travel there and get married. The ACLU and Lambda Legal Defense have already filed court papers in California to prevent the marriage amendment from being placed on the November ballot. California is the second state to allow and recognize same-sex marriage. The first state to allow same-sex marriage is Massachusetts which is bound by a 1913 law that prevents out-of-state gay and lesbian couples from getting married there. Massachusetts lawmakers are expected to vote next week to repeal the 1913 law. If they do so, it would put Massachusetts on par with California. See also: Boston Globe: Gay-marriage advocates hope to repeal old law Panel Discussion on California Same-sex Marriage: The Impact on Religious Liberty

Free Speech of U.S. Representatives & Senators at Risk

Bill Smith, Editor: U.S. Senate sources identified today that the Democrat leadership is seeking and developing actions to restrict the free speech of U.S. Representatives and Senators with both the public and their constituents. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised the most “open and honest Congress” when Democrats took over Congress at the beginning of last year. However, a majority Democrats have continually demonstrated that they don’t intend to live up to that pledge. In addition, online sources, Soren Dayton and Ed Morrissey are reporting that Democrat-controlled rule-making bodies in the House and Senate are trying to restrict and regulate the use of members’ communications on the Internet.

Ed Morrissey reports on the schemes in both chambers, asking “Why do Congressional Democrats fear free speech?” In the Senate, Rules Committee Chair Diane Feinstein (D-CA) is proposing a rule that would require her panel to essentially become the Internet speech police for the Senate. It would be up to the Rules Committee to “sanction” which websites and forms of communication they deem appropriate for senators to use, and would then require their regulations to apply to any domain not ending in “senate.gov.”

Even worse, the committee is seeking to be able to regulate content since the rule would give it the authority to require the removal of any content it considers in violation of Senate rules.The upshot of this proposal is that senators’ ability to use websites such as YouTube, Facebook, and others to communicate with their constituents and the American public could be jeopardized and the content of those communications subject to approval. On top of that, the rules are vague enough to raise concerns over how they might apply to basic things like guest postings on blogs like RedState and Townhall. No such restrictions exist on any other form of communication like TV and radio interviews or op-eds in newspapers. What is it about free speech online that Democrats find so threatening?

Voters Approval of Congress falls to 9%! Lowest Ever Rating!

ARRA News Service - Rasmussen Reports survey issued this morning shows voters giving the Democrat lead Congress with the lowest approval rating of any Congress in history.

Rasmussen Reports: The percentage of voters who give Congress good or excellent ratings has fallen to single digits for the first time in Rasmussen Reports tracking history. This month, just 9% say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Most voters (52%) say Congress is doing a poor job, which ties the record high in that dubious category. . . . Congress has not received higher than a 15% approval rating since the beginning of 2008. . . . [Read More on Survey]

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leaders Harry Reid have achieved the most dismal record ever with their liberal agenda and failure to address critical National issues like rising gas prices, homeland security, and the mortgage scandles. Their efforts to prohibit American owned businesses from Drilling for Oil in our own country and their actions restricting electric power companies to the use higher cost natural gas verses using cheap available coal is driving energy costs and gas prices beyond acceptable levels for the American people. It has not gone unnoticed by the public that these leaders have supported trial lawyers over loyal Americans who obeyed the requests of the Federal government to protect America. The public notices the effort of the congressional leaders to promote the bailout of banks and mortgage companies who promoted bad lending practices while ignoring the homeowners who are losing their homes to these same institutions. If democrat senators and reprentatives are concerned about America and regaining the voters' confidence, they should immediately replace Reid and Pelosi as their leaders.

Biden v. O'Donnell -- Sleeper Race of the Year

There is a sleeper race for U. S. Senate demanding national attention. I believe Christine O'Donnell , the Foxnews commentator, is a rare find in cynical world. She has the fire and heart to make a difference in D. C. That is why I hope Delawareans listen to her message. If they do, Delaware voters may say, I heart Christine--politically speaking.

Christine O'Donnell represents a rising tide in America. She represents Americans who are tired of a mounting federal debt, a dollar which seems worth less every day, a sham excuse for an energy policy, and a political system unwilling to open its eyes to an entitlement crisis. Christine believes in the value of Freedom, Faith, and Family. She stands for the freedom and dignity of the human spirit.

If we do not reform entitlements, in not too many years, we will have to radically cut programs or radically increase taxes. Last week the Executive Director of the nonpartisan Concord Coalition testified before our Senator Tom Carper's committee in the senate.

Robert L. Bixby, Executive Director of The Concord Coalition, testified before a subcommittee on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee regarding the 2007 Financial Report and the nation's future fiscal challenges. Bixby emphasized that the 2007 Financial Report, which shows future "fiscal exposures" with a present value of $53 trillion, demonstrates that future promises cannot be sustained and improving the nation's long-term fiscal outlook will require hard choices on spending and taxes.

That amount is what-- 4 times our economy. That is based upon present value of money not future value. We can not sustain charging into the coming storm. We have to change course. I don't fear the future. I don't believe the sky is falling. We as Americans can meet any challenge. As the Concord Coalition said, the result is not inevitable. It begins by following leaders who are willing to turn the ship of state in a safe direction.

Senator Biden is not proposing change. In my opinion, we no longer have the luxury to wait for him to see the light. I respect his years of service, but business is business.

Whenever someone has clear ideas about reforming government that the critics have a problem countering, the name calling starts. Senator Biden, who has drifted to the far left of the Senate likes to call anyone with common sense an extremist. I think we need to drop the name calling and debate policy. The challenges facing Americans because of a bipartisan policy of fiscal neglect is truly extreme. What we need are bold and visionary answers.

The fiscal crisis would be bad enough. We also face an energy crisis. Senator Biden has blocked upgrading Salem. He was missing in action during the Blue Water Wind debate. He opposes oil and gas exploration on the Continental Shelf well off shore. He is oblivious to the pain experienced by his fellow Delawareans caused by his policies. Here too Christine stands in stark contrast. As a bonus she understands that the most immediate effect we could have on energy prices is to stop inflating our currency and strengthen the dollar. As far as energy policy, there is only one sensible choice.

Christine O'Donnell understands that some of newest challenges are the ones in the pipeline. She opposes human cloning. Senator Biden joined the filibuster against bipartisan legislation ending cloning. She stands for the dignity of the human being from conception to natural death.

Another problem 21st Century is the undermining of national self determination. Senator Biden seems warm to allowing the U. N. to access alternative financing, In other words, global taxation. This would be the ultimate taxation without representation. Christine stands for National Sovereignty.

I urge you all put this race on your radar and give Christine whatever support you can.